Neil Barnett, identified on the weekend as Vancouver’s latest homicide victim, was an adventurous free spirit who had an unforgettable “booming laugh,” said some of his devastated hiking friends mourning his death Sunday.
Barnett was fatally stabbed near Carrall Street and West Pender on March 30.
He was 47.
An avid hiker and skier, Barnett was always up for any type of outdoor trip and was a longtime member of the Vancouver Hiking Meetup Group. He was a deft photographer and took thousands of photos of his many travels.
Friends said Barnett relished weekends spent hiking up mountains and having a few beers around the campsite, swapping wildly funny stories of adventures and misadventures.
Whether it was his penchant for always wearing shorts – even when snowshoeing in winter conditions – or the times he showed up for camping trips on a racing motorbike with his tent strapped to the back, friends say they’ll remember Barnett as a unique character who had an immense lust for life.
Tom Martinson, a friend and member of Barnett’s close-knit circle of hiking friends, said Barnett was a trustworthy companion to have on a mountain hike, someone who was always helping others.
“It’s such a shock. He was like a brother,” he said. “I’ve stayed up with him until the sun sends us to bed at campsites. It was uncanny how much we had in common. We shared a real kinship.”
At more than six feet tall, “crazy” Barnett was also remembered for being someone who stood out in a crowd.
“He’d get a couple of beers in him and he just had this incredible big booming laugh. He was a good presence and very well liked,” said Martinson.
“Happy and loud” were the two words that came to mind as Blanka Olivova recalled her friend.
“He had a deep voice, and he was big. If you wanted to sleep when we were camping at 11 [p.m.], no way you could until he went to bed, he was always talking, happy,” she said.
Glen Williams recalled how Barnett took a shine to his small Cocker spaniel-Dachshund named Kimi who always accompanied him on the hikes.
“The dog and Neil were always together. He always had her on his lap around the campfire. It was funny because she’s a tiny dog and he’s a big guy and he always had a soft spot for her,” he said.
“And he always wore shorts, even in the winter. He had these tree-trunk legs but he could pull it off.”
Williams, who met his fiance Kathy through the hiking group, said Barnett told him he was looking forward to attending Kathy’s upcoming 50th birthday party.
“He touched the lives of so many people both in and out of our group,” said Elle and Rob Weiler, in an email to The Vancouver Sun. “Volunteering to do a friend’s wedding photos was just one of the many gifts he gave.”
Martinson said Barnett, a software trainer who owned a condo in Yaletown, was stoked he had just been hired in a new job.
From Golden Ears Park to Mount Cheam in Chilliwack to a trip just last weekend at Elfin Lakes near Squamish, Barnett would always see the trek through to the end, said friends, despite having troublesome knees.
“He took life by the horns and tried so many different things,” recalled Martinson, adding that it was Barnett who encouraged him to get into paragliding, a sport he’s since grown so passionate about he is becoming an instructor.
While police have released few details about the circumstances surrounding Barnett’s death, friends believe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Police said they responded to a call about a man with a knife near Carrall Street and East Hastings just after 11 p.m. last Wednesday. They found Barnett suffering from stab wounds. He was taken to hospital but died a short time later.
Twenty-four-year old Vancouver resident Jullian Jordea Reddock has been charged with manslaughter in relation to Barnett’s death.
He is known to police and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Comments